Transcript 10th International Congress on Musical Signification

On the search for measurements
for genuine creativity
as basis of a sustainable development
in humanities and arts, in human life and well-being:
indirect indicators
Josephine Papst
scientific director and president
indexicals
Centre of transdisciplinary
cognitive and state-system sciences
Rechbauerstrasse 7
A-8010 Graz
www.indexicals.ac.at
International Conference on Indicators and Survey Methodology
Department of Statistics and Probability Theory
Vienna University of Technology, Austria
February 24-26, 2010
Content
1. The two most elementary questions:
What kinds of approaches are available in order to define appropriate
indicators to improve the measurements of innovation and of
sustainability in societies?
What are the kinds of problems we are faced with?
2. On the ideological turn at the beginning of the 21st-century:
From sciences via applied sciences to new scientifically justified ideologies
3. On the narrow limits of the traditional direct indicators to measure
achievements in humanities, arts, and well-being in human life
4. What matters?
Identity of a person over time and genuine creativity – indirect indicators
5. Conclusions
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1. The two most elementary questions:
What kinds of approaches are available in order to define appropriate indicators to
improve the measurements of innovation and of sustainability in societies?
What are the kinds of problems we are faced with?
Political-historical approach to reconstruct and to understand the social and
political motivations for the establishment of schemata and indicators of
measurements of innovation and, in this sense, of the development of economic
growth at the global and national levels, namely „The Measurement of Scientific
and Technological Activities“ – and all the following FRASCATI-Family Manuals.
What are
these arrows
good for?
The applied-sciences approach concerning the definition of the appropriate tools
and a somehow scientific justification of the global enterprise: (i) Economics that is
interested in economic growth at the global level. (ii) Mathematics, deductive and
inductive logics, probability theories, and statistics as tools to be able to handle
indicators in terms of countables within complex structures to present the status
quo and to produce predictions. (iii) International and supranational law in order to
be able to implement the new established institutional structures in the societies at
the global and national levels. (iv) Furterhmore: Theory of science, sociology, social
and personal psycholgoy, cognitive sciences, artifical intelligence (also highly
demanded by the military forces), ethics, and others.
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What is the relationship between political systems and sciences at particular times?
then
before
before
holocaust
holocaust
now
now
after
holocaust
holocaust
after
Institutional systems
and institutions of
power, politics, law,
and administration or
public management
Institutional systems
of sciences,
institutions of
science, and
Is the quest
scientists
This draft gives a first answer and an insight into the problems we are faced with.
josephine papst
then
search for indirect indicators
for scientific
rationality
new? Or was
it also part of
the
holocausthuman
behaviour?
4
2. On the ideological turn at the beginning of the 21st-century and the better future
prophecy: From sciences via applied sciences to new scientifically justified ideologies
First question: What signifies this ideological turn?
Answer: Rejection of the existential basis of human beings and functionalizing them
for institutional purposes; rejection of freedom of sciences and arts, and conscience
in sciences and education; institutional malpractice in terms of the use of repressive
means and fraud. (Compare also the new project on Institutional Corruption at the Harvard University
directed by Lawrence Lessig; http://www.ethics.harvard.edu/lab )
Second question: Who are the autors, advocators and promotors of this ideological
turn?
Answer: The homo academicus in Humanities, Social Sciences, and Legal Studies –
the so-called services sciences. Instead of providing distinctive and qualitative
works according to criteria of scientific reliability that corresponds immamently to
reality and of awareness of the limits, works are produced in theory and in practice
that ground on the behaviour of so-called statistical average persons, sub-societies,
and societies.
You
in
Humanities
policies and societies.
see!
Third question: Could this now ongoing ideological turn cause serious problems
for contemporarily living human beings and for future generations?
Answer: Yes, it does in fact; as concrete examples show.
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Fourth question: Which condidtions favoured the ideological turn at the beginning
of the 21st-century?
Answer: In practice a complexity of conditions at the individual and institutional
level, and in theory by the scientists and the scientific institutions who produced ad
hoc justifications and ways to implement the ideological turn in institutions of science
and research and in societies.
Fifth question: What are the methodological features of the ideological turn at the
beginning of the 21st-century?
Answer: The most obvious features are:
(a) The shift from independent scientists in sciences and humanities to dependent
scientists, and from independent sciences – methodologically characterized by the
demand for immanent truth and reliability – to dependent and applied sciences and
to the market-orientated applied sciences (H. Novotny’s loved 2nd scientific mode).
(b) The shift from applied market-orientated sciences to scientifically justified
ideologies. (Papst, J. (2006) Sciences and education without freedom of science and freedom of
conscience are not sciences and education at all; in: New Bearings in Higher Education, ed. by K. J. McGinley,
Istanbul: Fatih University Press, pp. 130- 142.)
(c) The shift of standards of qualification of university students. “At one time, the
thesis defense served the rigorous function of determining whether students
received their doctoral degrees. Recently, however, it has become more of a final
initiation rite.” (Grinnell, F.(1992) The Scientific Attitude, New York, London: The Guilford Press, p. 68.)
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Sixth question: Is there political support of the ideological turn and even a
demand for this turn?
Answer: Yes, there is a high potential of political support at the national Austrian
level as well as the European and global level.
Here, I quote one demand for his follower formulated in December 2009 by the
leaving Austrian Minister of science Johannes Hahn: „Sie oder er muss
Hirnschmalz mitbringen, Nüsse knacken können, die Kirschen gerecht verteilen,
Brösel vermeiden …“ (Der Standard, 24./25./26./27. Dez. 2009, S. 8.)
In short: As follower he wishes a person who avoids „Brösel“ (engl.: crumbs), what
means genuine and independent research in the public as well as in the private
sector – the latter does in fact very rarely exist here – should be avoided by the
future Minister of science. As examples in the Austrian reality of scientific
research show: In the case that independent scientists cannot be convinced by
money and all the other honours available at universities, repressive means
should become used to expunge those individuals and their succession; such
means include financial damage, if not enough defamation, libel, and all the very
good means used by former reactionary and totalitarian political systems.
Oh!
Yet, this demand for a complete strategic planning and controll simply mirrors
the demand formulated by the Austrian Science Board in November 2009.
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What
suprising
news?
7
According to the the Austrian Science Board it is controll of scientific content via
financial support of public and private scientific institutions. Small and private units
are very hardly to subdue and, therefore, they may be able to resist against
necessary influence.
A quote: „Privat finanzierte Forschungseinrichtungen bewegen sich außerhalb einer
unmittelbaren staatlichen Verantwortlichkeit [responsability here means to be
under control of the public administration] … im Wege der Forschungsförderung …
können vorhandene Strukturen, inhaltliche Schwerpunkte und
Forschungskapazitäten auch der privaten Einrichtungen maßgeblich beeinflusst
werden.“ (Austrian Scientific Board (November 2009) Universität Österreich 2025 – Analysen und
Empfehlungen zur Entwicklung des österreichischen Hochschul- und Wissenschaftssystems, S. 213f.)
For the justification of the whole paper mentioned above the Austrian Science
Board refers to so-called international trends and it is very interesting that they are
not able to mention at least one concrete reference. I quote: „International gesehen
geht der allgemeine Trend in Richtung größerer Einrichtungen, was nicht zuletzt
auch durch Teilnahmekriterien an vielen Förderprogrammen der EU bestärkt wird.“
Nothing
to add!
In short: Controll by money is based on particular economic modells and on
particular conceptions of human beings or persons. Therfore: What are these?
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Before I continue with a brief outline of some particular economic models and
the corresponding particular conceptions of human beings or persons, who may
become engaged in such large scaled scientific research units, an example of an
advertisment for scientific jobs within an EU-supported network should be
quoted:
„The … network will provide a cohesive, but flexible framework for the training
and professional development of researchers in the early stages of their research
career, contributing to achieve a critical mass of qualified researchers, and
to overcome institutional and disciplinary boundaries, by the
promotion of multidisciplinary research.”
The birth
Have in mind that contemporarily qualified researchers are those, who
have simply incorporated the mainstream jargon of a discipline or even
multi- or trans-discipline: Qualification is adjustment to the particular
jargon and the reproduction of this jargon by using the schemata
and the scientific dogmas of the research field.
of the
criticalmassresearcher
took
place!
The critical mass of qualified researchers can be defined as the pool of people
using and reproducing the same jargon, the same schemata, and dogmas. The
individual researcher does not exist and is, therefore, not responsible for what
she or he is reproducing as long as she or he functions as a particle within the
critical mass.
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3. On the narrow limits of the traditional direct indicators to measure
achievements in humanities, arts, and well-being in human life
particular economic models
particular conceptions of
human beings or persons.
In b e t w e e n a n d
in the background ?
Political-historical dimension: 1963 in Frascati: The very important and good
start of defining „Science and Technology Indicators“ in order to develop
statistical methodologies for the analysis of mass phenomena by the OECD
working group NESTI. (National Experts on Science and Technology
Indicators)
The applied-science dimension or the pragmatic dimension: The challenge to
generate the appropriate tools from the sciences.
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The basic technical tools for NESTI are
Statistics and probability theories (basic research – theory of science –
Philosophy of science)
used
within the contemporary political and social realities that change dynamically
over time and in very different ways in different parts of the world.
In practice the challenge is to get the changing features that do not enter the
formal procedure eo ipso, and are, therefore, to grap. The change of the entities
that enter the formal procedures concerns the underlying ontological problem.
From basic research in statistics and probability theory we know very well that
the formal construction is not a problem, however, the formal construction does
not solve the problem of Gültigkeit – validity. (Carnap, R. (1959) Induktive Logik und
Wahrscheinlichkeit, bearbeitet von W. Stegmüller, Wien: Springer; especially Chapter III: Die Anwendung
der induktiven Logik, pp. 95-133. Stegmüller, W (1980) Neue Wege der Wissenschaftsphilosophie, Berlin,
Heidelberg, New York: Springer; especially Chapter V: Ein kombinierter Zugang zum Verständnis der
Theoriendynamik, pp. 136-174; here especially Point 3: Zur dreifachen Unterscheidung zwischen Theorien,
empirischen Behauptungen und Theorien und dem Verfügen über Theorien, pp. 144-147.
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The basic entities to be measured by the defined indicators of developement
and innovation are new patents in the various fields, entities that establish
Intellectual Property Rights, technologies of the information society, human
resources for sciences and technologies, the classification of professions,
economic balance parameter, and other entities.
To develop schemata for the classification of the various professions in all fields
micro- and macro-economic models were to consult as well as conceptions of the
human being.
In the practical reality the economic exchange society was taken as the source
of the entities measured by the indicators of science and technology: Everything
that can be bought or sold. In the case that an entity does not classify under an
object, it can be classified under a service. What do humanities – including
education – and arts produce? Do they classify simply as services? The important
point is that the conception of the human being was that of the homo
economicus. The homo economicus pursues his self-interest, understood as
economic interest. His interest can be defined in terms of economic advantage.
An appropriate analyses of the homo economicus can be found in the parable of
the „poor man‘s son“. (Smith, A. (2001) The Theory of Moral Sentiments. Glasgow Edition, edited
by D. D. Raphael and A. L. Macfie. Oxford: Oxford University Press [1759]. Gerschlager, C. (2007) Identity
and Foolishness: Amartya Sen and Adam Smith. Paper presented at the “Twelfth World Congress of Social
Economics, Social Values and Economic Life”, University of Amsterdam, June 8th – 10th, 2007.
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The narrow limits of the traditional direct indicators to measure achievements in
humanities, arts, and well-being in human life are drawn from the economic
models in use and the conception of the human being as homo economicus.
In short: The homo economicus appears in the paradoxical shape of the “poor
man’s son” or in a contemporary description as the “transmodern subject”. (For a
characterisation of the transmodern subject see: Papst, J. (2005) Synopsis of the conference
Transdisciplinarity in Progress –Transmodernity and the Paradigm of Transdisciplinarity;
http://www.indexicals.ac.at/conferencevienna05.html )
However: Human beings as having an I or a self, and
are genuinely creative seem not to fit into the model of the homo
economicus. For example scientists in humanities, artists, and …
The basic freedoms of opinion, of science, and of art became denied in
favour of economic growth. Too expensive! Sciences became services
of justification, education, and entertainment.
If forced into such a model, what are and what will
be the consequences? Examples of results are given by the former
“Planwirtschaftsmodellen” – self-fulfilling prophecy works.
Yet, what the consequences of the ideological turn at the beginning of the 21st
century will be, is still an open question. Future generations will show!
Question: Are there indicators available to measure such consequences now?
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4. What matters?
Identity of a person over time and genuine creativity – indirect indicators
As an introduction to one of the most difficult themes concerning human beings, I
use a short story formulated by the philosopher Thomas Nagel:
“One summer more than ten years ago, when I taught at Princeton, a large spider appeared in the urinal of the men's room in
1879 Hall, a building that houses the Philosophy Department. When the urinal wasn't in use, he would perch on the metal drain
at its base, and when it was, he would try to scramble out of the way, sometimes managing to climb an inch or two up the
porcelain wall at a point that wasn't too wet. But sometimes he was caught, tumbled and drenched by the flushing torrent. He
didn't seem to like it, and always got out of the way if he could. But it was a floor-length urinal with a sunken base and a
smooth overhanging lip: he was below floor level and couldn't get out.
Somehow he survived, presumably feeding on tiny insects attracted to the site, and was still there when the fall term began.
The urinal must‘ have been used more than a hundred times a day, and always it was the same desperate scramble to get out
of the way. His life seemed miserable and exhausting.
Gradually our encounters began to oppress me. Of course it might be his natural habitat, but because he was trapped by the
smooth porcelain overhang, there was no way for him to get out even if he wanted to, and no way to tell whether he wanted
to. None of the other regulars did anything to alter the situation, but as the months wore on and fall turned to winter I arrived
with much uncertainty and hesitation at the decision to liberate him. I reflected that if he didn't like it on the outside, or didn't
find enough to eat, he could easily go back. So one day toward the end of the term I took a paper towel from the wall
dispenser and extended it to him. His legs grasped the end of the towel and I lifted him out and deposited him on the tile floor.
He just sat there, not moving a muscle. I nudged him slightly with the towel, but nothing happened. I pushed him an inch or
two along the tiles, right next to the urinal, but he still didn't respond. He seemed to be paralyzed. I felt uneasy but thought
that if he didn't want to stay on the tiles when he came to, a few steps would put him back. Meanwhile he was close to the wall
and not in danger of being trodden on. I left, but when I came back two hours later he hadn't moved.
The next day I found him in the same place, his legs shriveled in that way characteristic of dead spiders. His corpse stayed
there for a week, until they finally swept the floor.
It illustrates the hazards of combining perspectives that are radically distinct. Those hazards take many
forms; in this final chapter I shall describe some that arise in connection with our attitude toward our own
lives.” (Nagel, Th. (1986) The view from nowhere, New York, Oxford: Oxford University Press; quote from Chapter XI: Birth,
Death, and the Meaning of Life, pp. 208f.)
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The difficulties to investigate the problem of the identity of a person over
time and, if denied, the damages from this denial, are caused by the fact that
we enter a self-fulfilling-prophecy-circle, when denied. However, there are
ontological investigations, semantic investigations, investigations of the
creative mind, and existential aspect available.
Here, I can refer to some of my works. (Papst, J. (1993) Können wir in den eigentlich
interessanten Situationen eine Regel nur privatim anwenden?; Beiträge der • Osterreichischen
Ludwig Wittgenstein Gesellschaft; Philosophie und die kognitiven Wissenschaften; ed. by Roberto
Casati und Graham White; Proceedings des XVI. Internationalen Ludwig Wittgenstein Symposiums,
Kirchberg am Wechsel, Austria, 395-401. Papst, J. (1995) Understanding, Following a Rule and
Creativity. Paper given at the New Bulgarian University (forthcoming.) Papst, J. (1996) Indexicality
as the basis of the subsymbolic-refexive structure of the mind. Dissertation.) Papst, J. (2005)
Genuine intentions, the self, and following a rule; Opening lecture of the indexicals-Conference
„Transmodernity and the paradigm of transdisziplinarity“; Conference within the frame of
Innovation and Reproduction in Cultures and Societies, Vienna, December 8th – 11th, 2005;
forthcoming, http://www.indexicals.ac.at/conferencevienna05.html .See
also http://www.inst.at/irics/sektionen_n-s/papst.htm
And to my works in progress.
Identity of a person over time matters and cannot become replaced by
survival or an funcational account of persons! Here, my historical works are
concerned with a re-evaluation of René Descartes‘ works and the French
Moralists.
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An example from economic studies from another part of the world can be
provided by the transdisciplinary economist and bearer of the Alternative Nobel
Prize 1983, Manfred Max-Neef, who developed bar-foot economics and in
connection with his approach in economics the „Human Scale Development“.
(See references to M. Max-Neef in the list of references attached to my abstract.)
Different to the Maslo strictly hierarchical model of human needs, Max-Neef‘s
„Human Scale Development“ contains carefully worked out distinctions and
includes in the skale also the notion of the identiy of a person over time, although
it is not worked out clearly enough. (See also the contribution by Max-Neef, M. (2005) The
negation of identity as a condition for neo-classical economics, in the indexicals-Conference
„Transmodernity and the paradigm of transdisziplinarity“; Conference within the frame of Innovation
and Reproduction in Cultures and Societies, Vienna, December 8th – 11th, 2005;
forthcoming, http://www.indexicals.ac.at/conferencevienna05.html .See
also http://www.inst.at/irics/sektionen_n-s/papst.htm .
Other examples from socio-economic studies can provide an insight by analogy,
because the living circles of at least some natural environments are shorter than
human lifetimes are; yet, these examples can be taken only as analogies: Elenor
Ostrom‘s research work about the sustainable development in small
communities. She shows that these socio-ecological systems became
destructed after efforts of standardisation by public authorities. (See references to
E. Ostrom‘s works in the list of references attached to my abstract.)
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Thesis: The genuinely creative mind presupposes at the individual level the
identity over time a a person – the existential ground of human beings.
To measure this implicit feature of the human genuinely creative mind,
indirect indicators are to be found and defined.
And it seems that the indicators can only become derived from the damages
of the denial of the identity over time or the existential ground of a human
being. Therefore, these are indirect indicators.
Identity of a person over time and the damages from its denial are highly
important topics. However, contemporarily the so-called scientific research
used by social and legal institutions in power go into the direction to deny
exactly this elementary existential component in human life.
All the indicators and statistical data cannot contain their interpretation.
Interpretation is the ideological part of the use of indicators and statistical
data in everyday governmental or political use.
The question arises: Where does standardisation or putting-under-rules
provide a sustainable advantage and where does it cause irreversible
damages for individual persons, for societies, and for future generations?
This is the problem caused by the indicators of sustainable development
based on the homo economicus conception of the human being.
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I provide some examples for this political feature of the ideological turn at the
beginning of the 21st century that is also a result of political power from the end of
the 20th century at the global level :
The United National Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization provides documents that
name always the freedoms of sciences and arts, but at the same time deny these freedoms in
favour of providing so-called artists with the “economic advantages pertaining to the status of
workers.” “Further recognizing that the cultural, technological, economic, social and political
development of society influences the status of the artist and that is consequently necessary to
review his status, taking account of social progress in the world,” (The General Conference of the
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, meeting form 23 – 28 October 1980 in its
twenty-first session.)
Q. e. d.
“Hingewiesen sei ferner darauf, dass sich die Rolle des Künstlers verändert hat und sich
weiterhin verändern wird. Wie viele Studien belegen, unterscheidet sich das professionelle
Leben in der Kunst heute wesentlich von dem früherer Generationen. So geht es z.B.
gegenüber einer früheren Genieauffassung und einer sich an ihr orientierenden Ausbildung
zunehmend um die Etablierung akzeptierter Standards und geteilter Erwartungen in der
Ausbildung. Doch auch hier sind es zumeist externe Definitionen, die sich von den
Eigendefinitionen of erheblich unterscheiden. Schließlich geht es darum, was heute unter
Kunst zu verstehen ist und was den Kern der Kunstuniversitäten ausmachen soll.” (Austrian
Science Board (Mai 2009) Empfehlungen zur Entwicklung der Kunstuniversitäten in Österreich, S. 79.) =
Demand for strict norms in arts and higher education in arts because of economic reasons;
creative economic needs entertainment services and decorations services. Not arts!
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5. Conclusions
In order to define appropriate indicators for measurements for genuine
creativity as basis of a sustainable development in humanities and arts, in
human life and well-being the ontological problem is the most difficult one
and remains. Only indirect indicators from damages are available!
Regulation in terms of standardisation in education, sciences, and arts may
cause damages concerning our genuine creatitive capacities, as long as we
are human beings and not some kind of zobies. – To construct a wall, where
freedoms of opinion and freedom of conscience are demanded, might be
ecomomically successful at the short run, but destructive at the long run.
Programmes in sciences, research, and arts carried out only strategically do
bring about „various kinds of deaths“, metaphorically speaking. At the long
run a society destroys itself, because it annul its own genuine creative
capacities.
Unfortunately indirect indicators are only available via the damages caused
by mistaken strategies! = work in progress and a prevention model.
The better future view and the better future prophecies based on economic
growth and the homo economicus may not have that happy end.
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end – end – end
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